Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Truth Quest

So how do the TruthQuest guides work? The first thing that I noticed was that there was no schedule so this makes them different from almost every curriculum I've ever used in the past. What they do offer is an extensive book list that's list chronologically and sectioned into categories. There were comments and cautions available for each book recommended. The guide we have is recommended for grades 5-12, but there were many titles for younger grades as well. At first I really thought great this is nothing but a glorified reading list BUT then I decided to go ahead and give it a try and see how it would work for us. The biggest difference I saw was the introduction of each category, after each section is a full commentary, TruthQuest sets the stage for that time period and explains what is happening, the thoughts, perspectives, the heart of the people. We actually see that God is the prime focus of the universe and student work through the book list and are able to view history as man's interaction with God, not as man's interaction with himself. Since there is no schedule we just went along at our own pace, we dove deeper into some areas and skimmed the surface on others. None of this really bothered me, they were learning and having fun. The idea was to pick and choose what suits your family's needs the best. Throughout the guide they have ThinkWrite assignments which inspired my kids to dig a little deeper, and we used these as discussions questions. If you need some help the appendix offers some responses to the ThinkWrite questions, sometimes I'd use these to help the kids brainstorm a little bit. Once I got them started they usually came up with the answers on their own.

The cost was $24.95 for the printed guide or $19.95 for a PDF version

Taken directly from their website:TruthQuest Historyis a deep and rich literature-based history study…but with a difference. You will not learn the story ofmankind; you will learn thelovestoryof mankind. You will not focus on the rise and fall of human civilizations; you will focus on the arrow-straight line of God's unchanging existence, power, love, truth, and plan for civilization. You will not simply 'meet the culture' or 'get the facts;' you will probe the truths of history so deeply that your students will be equipped to change their world!

The study of Rome offers a unique insight into a civilization built on human power. Their understanding of it led to some excellent governmental and engineering advancements, but without acknowledging God's higher power, the stage was set for tyranny.

Yet into this mighty realm, came the centerpiece of civilization--Jesus Christ! Why then? How did the early church begin to affect the world? Was it affected by the world? Why? You'll see!

The Roman emperors expected the church to collapse; instead, their empire did. Hmmm. That makes for some interesting history! The reasons must be learned by modern Americans, if a similar collapse is to be avoided.

My Opinion

Truth Quest has been an absolute God send for us. I've been trying to decide what curriculum we were going to use next year and then when we were asked to review it we fell in love with it and have decided on . For our review we were given the Ancient Rome guide and we have really enjoyed exploring deeper and finding out the truth's of God's existence and his plan for mankind.
I loved that TruthQuest also offers companion guides.
They offer the following:

Binder Builder-is like a fancy lapbook. It provides loads of mini-booklets for your child to cut out, fold, glue, and record learned information. $18.00 and only available in PDF

Notebook-Our Notebooking Pages are another way for your child to record learned information. You will find a notebooking page for most topics in the TruthQuest History program. Simply read about the topic of study, then have your child express their learning on the notebook pages. $13.00 and only available in PDF

Map/timeline/report package-Our Map/Timeline/Report Package provides everything you need to help your child learn when and where events happened: maps, reproducible timeline, timeline markers, mini-timeline cards, report ideas, and more. In addition to creating a timeline with markers, you can, for example, spread the mini-timeline cards across the living-room floor and challenge your student to put them in chronological order. The cards can also be used as flashcards for families on the go, and even as a matching game! This package also includes many historical figures to color, maps to mark, plenty of helpful report forms (Soldier report, country report, etc.), and lesson-planning forms for Mom! (For grades 1 and up.) $13.00 and only available in PDF

TruthQuest also offers the choice to buy all 3 and save! $39.00 for all 3 and only available in PDF

If you would like to read what other TOS crew members had to say about TruthQuest please click here.